(1) Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to exercise equipment. More particularly, the invention relates to means and methods of assisting an athlete to execute a false grip as needed in various gymnastic Olympic ring maneuvers such as the iron cross and the muscle up.
(2) Description of the Related Art
The known related art fails to anticipate or disclose the principles of the present invention.
In the related art, various gloves, wraps, or support systems attempt to provide support or padding at the palm area of the hand. Such systems may be useful for general gripping, but do nothing to assist in the execution of a false grip.
U.S. Published Patent Application 2014/0121064 by Newman does an excellent job describing the “false grip”, the “muscle up” maneuver and the strain inflected upon joints and muscles from ring exercises. In order to provide a better grip upon a ring and dissipate hand pressure placed upon a ring, Newman discloses ring attachment pieces of arcuate shape that substantially match the shape of a selected exercise ring. The grip device of Newman screws on to an existing exercise ring to increase the surface area of the ring. While Newman provides an artful new shape for exercise rings, Newman requires drilling holes into existing exercise rings or otherwise destructively altering exercise rings. The Newman grip device renders exercise rings unfit for regulation use. Gym owners are loath to alter their expensive Olympic rings or otherwise alter their standard exercise rings.
With the growing popularity of cross-fit training, more amateur athletes or exercise enthusiasts have taken to Olympic rings as a form of exercise. A milestone metric or rite of passage includes execution of the muscle up maneuver which requires a mastery of the false grip. Execution of the false grip traditionally requires years of training and the endurance of acute pain in the wrist area just below the pinky side of the hand. The related art fails to mitigate the pain and/or skeletal damage inflicted upon the wrist area while executing a false grip on a regulation or normal exercise ring. In the related art, hours of false grip practice are required to avoid slipping off the rings. Thus, there is a need in the art for means of assisting aspiring athletes in executing a false grip without resorting to changing or damaging existing exercise rings.